Mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers, have the most extensive range of any wild land mammal in the Americas. They are found from the Canadian Yukon in the north to the southern Andes in Chile in the south

. In North America, mountain lions are primarily found in the western United States and Canada, inhabiting a variety of ecosystems including mountains, forests, deserts, and wetlands. They thrive in places with adequate cover and abundant prey, such as steep rocky canyons, dense forests, and semi-arid areas, from sea level up to elevations of around 10,000 feet

. Specifically, confirmed breeding populations exist in about 15 to 16 western U.S. states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida (home to the Florida panther subspecies), Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming

. Mountain lions are sparse east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of the isolated Florida panther population and some possible recolonization in the Midwest and eastern Canada

. In Canada, they are abundant in British Columbia and Alberta, and their range extends through the Rocky Mountains and other western regions

. In South America, they inhabit diverse habitats from tropical forests to mountainous regions down to the southern tip of the continent

. In summary, mountain lions are found widely across the Americas, mainly in western North America from Canada through the United States to Mexico, and throughout much of Central and South America, favoring habitats that provide shelter and prey